Angola: Portugal Has No Objections Concerning Pension Payment

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Angola: Portugal Has No Objections Concerning Pension Payment

Angola News Index

June 10, 2003

Luanda - Portuguese ambassador to Angola, Francisco Esteves said Tuesday that his country has no "Philosophical objections," concerning the payment of allowances to the Angolan pensioners of the then colonial administration, before the country got its independence from Portugal.

The ambassador went on saying that the case is still open and in the agenda of the Portuguese government, adding that he understands perfectly the legitimacy of the claims. The diplomat made these statements at the end of an audience with the Angolan Prime-Minister, Fernando Dias Dos Santos, explaining that there are two aspects to have in consideration for the resolution of this question, which goes back to the time of de-colonization.

The first aspect is to do with the need of going deeply into the technical side of the question, such as the discussion of juridic aspects to determine the people that are eligible to have their claims accepted, and secondly it is necessary to establish the appropriate political and budgetary conditions.

In this perspective, the Portuguese diplomat informed that this subject will be on the agenda of the Angolan Foreign Affairs minister, João Miranda, who will travel to Portugal, on Wednesday, for a working visit to that country.

Francisco Esteves also informed that they are still preparing and analyzing the best time for the Portuguese Foreign Affairs minister, Durão Barroso, to visit Angola. "We want his visit to be very successful, in terms of substance, so that it may represent a turning point in the relations between the two countries, which are already very good", he said.

The Portuguese diplomat manifested his hope that with his country’s Foreign Affairs Minister’s visit to Angola the relations of cooperation, especially economic relationship, will substantially improve with significant programs adjusted to the new context of peace and to the challenges for development of the country.